Days of Chaos
by Razial
Summary: Xander, the Doctor and the gang must deal with the fallout of Ethan's spell, whilst trying to stop a group of demons from opening the Hellmouth. Sequel to Nights of Chaos.
1. Chapter 1

Days of Chaos

Beta: Hawklan

Disclaimer: I do not own Xander Harris or any other characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show or its related media, they belong to Joss Whedon and I also do not own Doctor Who or any of its related media, as they belong to whoever owns the rights. All other shows used in this fic belong to their respective creators or whoever owns the rights to them.

Pairing: Xander/Tara Doctor/Rose

Summary: Xander, the Doctor and the gang must deal with the fallout of Ethan's spell, whilst trying to stop a group of demons from opening the Hellmouth.

Notes: Takes place a week after the events of Night of Chaos so read that first before this one, this story will go into more detail on what the after affects of the Halloween spell on the town was.

(Xander and Tara's apartment)

Xander shot up in bed and was drenched in sweat from the intense nightmare he had just gone through again, the doctor's memories of the Time War haunted him every night. He looked to his side and noted that Tara was slowly waking up as well and he cursed not been able to avoid waking her in his distress. He turned away from her and leaned his head in his hands.

Tara awoke to find Xander once again troubled by the Doctor's memories, as he had been for the last week since Halloween. She ignored the guilt she still felt at being somewhat the cause of this and got herself up to her knees and pulled her boyfriend into a strong embrace. She had only gotten small bits and pieces out of him about what it was he saw at night. It was not much, but it had been enough to send a chill up her spine.

The idea of such a war in space with the entire universe at stake had been hard to grasp, but considering what she had seen when visiting the new Time Lord Colony she had been convinced he was no kidding. She closed her eyes and wished there was something to do to help him put this behind him, so that he could get a good night's sleep again.

"Are you okay Alex?" she asked opening her eyes.

"I will be in time," Xander responded, as he relaxed into Tara's embrace. "He has seen so much beauty, so much wonder and so much death," he explained with a smile. "It is hard to force it all back," he added, glancing up at his lover.

"I know," Tara responded. "Dawn's memories can be just as over powering and seen as she was the lover of Cernunnos, the god of death in her reality she saw plenty of it herself," she admitted. "And we are not alone in fighting the effects of what Ethan's spell brought down on us this time, more and more of your former friends in High School have come forward and admitted that they have been changed," she reminded him.

"I know and that makes me want to strangle Ethan all the more," Xander shot back. "Lucky for him the Doctor took him to the Shadow Proclamation, so he will not be able to cause such trouble again, however the damage is done," he continued shaking his head in annoyance.

Tara did not reply and just pulled Xander closer to herself and laid her head on his shoulder, she knew whatever Ethan had done to change the spell he used for Halloween had repercussions the chaos mage had not expected.

Now half the town was fighting to come to terms with what had been done to them. Buffy and Giles were working overtime to ensure that the affected did not misuse their new abilities and powers.

That was proving not to be as easy as Willow had suspected it would be. A few of the affected seemed to think these changes they had undergone would aid them in getting rich. One or two others seemed to want to make a name for themselves. It was adding a lot more trouble and pressure for the whole group.

"We will work through it," she finally spoke up again after a few minutes of silence. "Together?" she added locking their gazes.

"Always," Xander responded, leaned up and kissed her deeply, a kiss she eagerly returned.

A few seconds later they broke apart and Tara got him back in bed and she quickly cuddled up against him. Xander brought his arm around her and brought her closer. Staring into the darkness of their room he wondered just how much time would have to pass before he could control what he saw at night. Closing his eyes he focused on Tara's comforting presence and slowly drifted off, followed a few minutes later by Tara herself.

(New Gallifrey)

The Doctor watched as Rose and Romana talked quietly between themselves. They had been here for the last couple of days after a rather stressful adventure. They had ended up in the future and almost had been trapped there. They had fought a creature that resembled the devil in appearance, but its true threat had been its intelligence.

The group of people they had joined forces with, had mostly been killed bar three survivors, much to his sorrow. The loss of the Ood also played on his mind and Rose's as well, as they had not been responsible for their actions on the station.

He was still trying to work out who had chained the creature down in the pit in the first place. Who had come up with the system that had kept it there in the dark and most confusedly of all who had predicted he would arrive to end the threat of the creature all together? To many unanswered questions and he did not like that one bit. Leaning back in his seat he wondered what to do next, he needed a small break from such adventures, which is one of the reasons he had come home.

Home, now wasn't that a strange thing to be able to say again after so long? Thanks to Alexander's actions when he was transformed into a mix of his ninth and tenth incarnations, this colony of his people had survived the Time War. It was slowly gearing up to be a new Gallifrey, but at the moment it was nowhere near where they had been before the war.

The new council had decided they needed to create new technology including defensive and offensive weapons. He was split on that, but even he could not fail to see his people had fallen behind certain aggressive species, it was one of the reasons they had done so badly against the Daleks. No, he supposed if they wanted to avoid things like that, they had to start taking a more direct approach to the universe. This was no longer the golden era where they were the supreme race who had little to fear.

Rose glanced at where the Doctor sat and noted that he was still preoccupied with his thoughts and worries from their last adventure. She sighed and was still very troubled herself over what had happened. It had been one of the scariest adventures she had been a part of, since meeting the Doctor last year. The only thing that was more frightening was the fight against the Daleks.

"He'll be ok Rose," Romana's voice broke her train of thought and she turned back to the Timelady and managed a small smile. "The Doctor has been through many rough times throughout his life and this is sadly just one more," she explained. "It is the one major curse of being a Timelord," she stated with a strained smile. "We end up seeing so much, that at times it can just be too much for us. The fact that he survived so long on his own after the war, shows the strength of his character," she went on.

"How are your people responding to what the Doctor did to end the war?" Rose asked.

"We understand his choice Rose," Romana answered seriously. "Our people had been changed by the war into something we were never meant to be, what he told us about what Rassilon planned is just madness," she explained, as best she could. "The idea that nearly our entire race agreed with him is horrifying to us. We were supposed to be guardians to the younger races, with a strict policy of none interference and they betrayed that for their own survival," she stated and a little anger crept into her voice. "The Doctor remembered who he was supposed to be and to protect all of creation he acted and in so doing wiped out both the Dalek and Timelord races. That alone should have driven him insane, but he survived and kept going," she finished.

"But it wasn't worth the sacrifice was it?" Rose protested. "The Daleks survived and they came back," she reminded her new friend.

"I suppose in the end it wasn't, but by removing the corrupted Timelords he safe guarded all else in the universe, including Earth," Romana responded. "As for the Daleks, I fear we will never truly see the end of them," she admitted.

"Me neither," the Doctor's voice caused them both turn and to face him. "Davros created them to be the ultimate survivors and somehow I think they are still out there somewhere," he said bitterly. "I should have wiped them out when I had the chance back on Skaro. The Timelords ordered me to overt their creation and I refused, believing that by allowing them to live the universe would rally against them," he continued, lost in his memories.

The Doctor's admission shocked Rose somewhat, but then again she remembered the hatred the Doctor had shown when they had encountered the Dalek in Van Stratten's lab and again when they had fought the Dalek Emperor and his forces in the future. She had learned there was one race the Doctor would never show mercy to, never try and aide and always would fight against to the bitter end.

"Then we will just have to be all the more watchful Doctor," Romana responded, after a small silence. "If any of them are still out there, we will either find them or they will find us, but for now I suggest you put them out of your mind as best you can," she told her old friend, placing a calming hand on his shoulder.

"You are right Romana," the Doctor replied, shooting her a small smile. "I think tomorrow I will return to Earth and visit Alexander and see how he is doing in coping with my memories," he told them the plans he had come up with. "I also want to make sure there were no other affects of this spell on that particular town. I do not know what possessed that mage Ethan to cast such a spell on the Hellmouth of all places and then not once, but twice," he added with a shake of his head.

"Some people never know when to stop," Romana responded. "The Master was a great example of this, even after all he did, all he had caused he still tried to cause more destruction and more death," she reminded him.

The Doctor did all he could to block out his memories of his former friend and now greatest foe or at least he had been. The Master was long gone or at least he believed him to be dead. Getting up, he headed for his room after saying goodnight to Rose and Romana.

Rose watched him go, knowing he was fighting his memories. She did not know who this Master was, but clearly the Doctor and Romana did and he did not sound like a nice person. She thought back to what Alexander had told her and this brought a smile to her face, because thanks to what he had told her, she had hope. Getting up she headed for her own room, also saying goodnight to Romana first. She loved the Doctor, there was no doubt about that and thanks to Alexander she knew he loved her back.

(Magic Box, next day)

Xander walked into the shop side by side with Tara, both had been changed by their transformations not just in memories, abilities and experiences, but also in the way how they dressed. Xander wore the same clothes his combined Doctor persona had worn, whilst Tara, who had always liked skirts and jumpers, now wore a black body suit. Likewise the three tears she had painted under her left eye were still there. Somehow the magic had made them a permanent fixture, not that Xander minded as he believed it made his girlfriend look even more beautiful.

Already inside was Giles, who had also been affected by the spell Ethan had cast. Dressed more like his younger self he was also far more prone to anger and far less tolerant of their lack of seriousness in the face of any threats.

Buffy was at the table as well, reading through one of the books Giles had out, she too had been heavily affected by the spell. Her entire outlook on vampires had been changed, so even her working relationship with Angel had been affected, much to the vampire's horror. She was even more deadly in combat now and had begun to ask Giles to get her a pair of berrettas and a stack of ammo she could modify into vamp killers. It would seem that the knowledge she had gained from Selene was going to be far more helpful than they had first thought. He agreed that a more modern approach to their work was the right choice.

He noted Willow and Cordelia were absent and he recalled there had been a lot of tension since the spell on Halloween between them. He had not been able to get either of them to tell him why yet.

Joyce and Dawn were in attendance at the counter. Their own transformations changed them from support to actual help, should they need it. Dawn was now super fast and very good with swords and axes. Joyce likewise was great with swords and her outlook seemed to have been shifted to be more accepting of the changes they all had undergone.

Oz was also missing, but he was sure his friend would turn up as his transformation into Van Hellsing that night had made Oz have a deal for hunting the supernatural, who threatened to kill or cause trouble.

Heading for the table he sat down, joined a second later by Tara.

Buffy only glanced up at them and nodded a greeting, before going back to reading. He knew she was looking for a way to either control of remove the emotions that now caused the problems between her and Angel. He doubted she would find anything, not even he, with all the Doctor's memories, could think of a way to aide any of them.

"So Giles, do we have a list yet of how many people still retain the abilities and memories of who they were changed into?" he asked, getting right into the continuing problem at hand.

Giles sighed as he turned to face the younger man and sat down as well. "We are still gathering information, as well as getting visits from people. It seems that most of them truly do know what is going on in this town and just decided to ignore it," he answered. "It is frustrating, but not really surprising," he added with a shake of his head. "Anyway so far we have fifteen confirmed cases," he went on.

"Anyone we know?" Willow asked as she entered, having heard Giles' last sentence and joined them at the table smiling all the way.

"I am afraid so," Giles responded. "Amy Madison ended up being changed into Morgan le Fay, a powerful witch, which has increased her own powers and given her access to far more spells, than she had known before," he started, making Buffy and the others turn and pay him their full attention.

"Jonathan Levinson became Luke Skywalker and now possesses a real lightsaber and his friend Andrew Wells ended up becoming Darth Vader and also has a lightsaber," here he paused and seemed to want to laugh at the craziness of the situation.

"Why am I not surprised those two nerds ended up dresses as two sci-fi icons?" Willow commented with a smile. "I remember them always talking about Star Wars and Star Trek," she added, glancing at Xander who nodded, showing that he as well remembered those two.

"Kind of funny to hear you two talk like that, considering when we met you, you were thought of as nerds yourself," Buffy interjected with her own smile.

"Ah but we were not obsessed to the point of having nothing else in our heads like these two, Buffy," Xander shot back, pleased to see Buffy showed a bit more of her old persona. "Willow had her mind full of lusty thoughts about me and strangely enough my head was filled of thoughts about you," he teased.

"Oh like I am ever going to forget your crush on me," Buffy returned, noticing Tara did not even seem to mind the turn this conversation had taken. "Or Willow's on you, it kind of defined us back then," she continued.

Willow did her best to keep her embarrassment down, as she was reminded of how badly she used to have it for Xander and never being brave enough to make a move, she had just watched him from afar. Of course their fling later on had finally brought them together, but at the wrong time and they both felt for the wrong reasons. They had both paid the price for their actions at that point and she did not like thinking back on it.

"Yes well anyway, back to what I was saying," Giles interrupted, not wanting to hear them discuss old problems. "One of Dawn's friends turned up and explained she had become Gabrielle from the Xena series and is now an expert in fighting with a staff and a sword," he continued, glancing at Dawn who nodded, remembering the incident and having to tell her friend the truth of what went on in this town and on Halloween to change her so.

"Bloody hell, how many teens were hit?" Buffy inquired, glancing first at her sister and then at her watcher.

"Strangely enough out of her friends who went out on Halloween she was the only one who has kept the changes so far," Giles answered, somewhat perplexed by this. "I can only guess that the spell was tuned to certain people," he added, when he noted the others confused glances.

"Maybe we should have questioned Ethan a little more on exactly what he did to change the original spell he used the first time," Tara put in.

Before anyone could speak again, the sounds of the Tardis appearing startled them all. They turned to see it begin to fade in, before becoming solid. The doors opened and the Doctor and Rose soon stepped out, glancing around the store before joining them at the table.

"Hello," the Doctor began with what almost looked like a crazed smile. "Thought I'd pop in and see if there was any more damage from that spell," he explained his reason for being there.

"I'm afraid so," Xander responded. "We were just discussing the people who still have either their powers, weapons, memories and experience," he continued. "I doubt even now that we have the full scope of what that moron Ethan did," he said, letting out a growl.

"I see," the Doctor said and sighed. "Sadly not even I or the Timelords have any idea on how to undo what the spell has caused or we would have already done so with Alexander and Tara," he informed them, frowning slightly. "How about in your group?" he asked.

"All of us were affected and all of us have retained something from the transformations," Joyce spoke up for the first time "Yet not everyone involved retained anything. One of Dawn's friends did end up changed like us, but others did not," she went on confused how this could be so.

The Doctor was slightly puzzled, when Joyce explained this to him. He leaned back in his seat and considered possible explanations. Rose was just content to watch for now, she was pleased to be back on Earth again.

"Until we know what Ethan did, we cannot come up with a reasonable explanation for why it was so wide spread this time," Xander put in.

"Yeah last time no one retained anything at all, bar Xander," Dawn spoke up in agreement. "He remembered things about the solider he was possessed by and how to use weapons, just like the rocket launcher he trained Buffy to use to destroy the Judge," she continued.

"Really?" the Doctor asked in response. "That is interesting, but still gives us little to find out why this happened," he added before standing up and heading for the Tardis. "Rose stay here please, I'm going to visit the Shadow Proclamation and talk to Ethan," he added.

He didn't wait for a reply as he vanished inside the Tardis, which soon vanished, Rose was slightly annoyed at being left behind, but she knew he would be back. Looking back to the others she noted they looked slightly let down too. She guessed they had hoped he would have an answer to the problem right off the bat.

Before any of them could start a new subject the door to the shop was flung open and Cordelia rushed in, followed by Oz. Xander noted that the replica of the Witchblade was still on Cordelia's wrist and he remembered Cordelia's explanation that the blade was still real. Oz was wearing the Hellsing trench coat he had used during Halloween, as with the others, everyone had been affected within their group.

"We got trouble cooking," Oz growled. "We were up at Willy's trying to find out about any incoming threats," he added, as he stopped to lean down and kiss Willow, who only half heartedly returned it.

"What did you find?" Buffy asked, getting to her feet somewhat irritated they seemed to be doing her job.

"A group of demons are in town on a mission to open the Hellmouth," Cordelia was the one who answered, having taken a seat next to Willow.

Tara had noted the two females seemed to have developed a rather deep friendship since Halloween, the two characters they had been changed into, Aspen Matthews and Sara Pezzini respectively knew each other somehow and that had left a lasting mark in Willow and Cordelia.

"Damn it," Buffy cursed as she heard the answer "Why can't they get the hint that they will be killed for trying that?" she asked, expecting no real answer.

"Because the vampires and demons we usually fight tend to be dumb idiots, bar one or two exceptions," Dawn spoke up with a grin. "They forget that if they open the Hellmouth they fall to the bottom of the food chain and most likely will end up someone meal," she went on, causing Buffy to frown somewhat, as she detected some slight sarcasm in her sister's voice.

"It does seem to be our lot in life," Giles muttered, before he turned to Cordelia an Oz and then got serious. "Did you learn anything important about these demons, like why they want to open the Hellmouth?" he inquired.

"Something to do with resurrecting their dead god," Cordelia answered distastefully. "I don't think they give a damn about what happens afterwards, as long as their god is brought back," she added.

"Like you should expect anything more from demons," Oz snapped gruffly. "We need to track them down and exterminate them," he stated.

Xander flinched as he heard the word exterminate come out of his friend's mouth. It brought back all the memories he now had of the Daleks and Davros. He closed his eyes and fought the wave of horror and hatred that threatened to overwhelm him, when he felt Tara reach out and take his hand in hers he found something to focus on and began to calm down.

Opening his eyes he locked his gaze onto hers and gave her a thankful smile which she returned, he had to get a grip on these feelings and memories, before they completely sent him around the bend. He seriously did not know how the Doctor lived with everything, as the events he remembered actually happened to him. Focusing back on the new problem, he wondered what the best course of action would be.

"Calm down Oz," Joyce cut in, before anyone else could speak up. "Learn to control the new emotions and memories you now have, before you get yourself or others hurt or worse killed," she warned. "And that goes for the rest of you. You are not the people you were changed into and neither am I, so remember who you are supposed to be," she advised them all and she looked especially at her daughters, as she spoke.

Oz looked away, feeling slightly irritated by the put down from Joyce. He felt like he had two personalities inside of him all the time. It was worse than when he had to deal with being a werewolf. It was hard to keep his own persona in place over that of the experienced hunter.

"Ok we know the threat exists, but until night falls we can do little," Giles said, as he stood up and looked over the group. "For now I suggest we deal with some of the problems Halloween has caused us," he suggested.

"Such as?" Willow asked.

"There have been a few reports of people using their new abilities for less than noble deeds. A string of robberies has sprung up in town and I am sure they are the work of a few individuals, which were changed on Halloween," he explained. "I think it is only a matter of time, before they go from theft to more serious crimes," he continued.

"Any clues on who is behind this?" Xander asked, as he stood up ready to get to work if it helped distract him from the Doctor's memories.

"One of the contacts I've been talking to described one of the people involved," Giles answered. "I seem to recall meeting someone just like him back in Sunnydale High," he added.

"Who?" Buffy demanded to know.

"Warren Mears," Giles responded. "He was one of your classmates back in school who like Mr. Levinson and Mr. Wells seems to have a deep obsession with science fiction and fantasy," he informed them.

"I remember him," Xander said with a distasteful look on his face. "The guy was a creep, me and Jessie once ended up having to hang around with the guy during a detention and all he would talk about, were disturbing things he wanted to do to people he felt slighted him," he told them, his expression was somewhat dark. "He was nuts about certain things and talked like they were real, with no real connection to the real world," he added with a shake of his head.

"Threat level?" Buffy asked, trying hard to put a face to the name.

"Depends on what he went as on Halloween and what he kept afterwards," Xander responded. "But if anyone was to misuse such things, it's him. I suggest we do not split up in our search for him or if we do split, we stay in two groups," he advised.

"I agree," Giles cut in, before Buffy could reply. "Until we know what the young man retained, it is best if we can keep an eye on each others backs," he told them seriously.

Buffy finally nodded her head in agreement and after picking Willow and Oz, she left the store to begin their hunt. Xander looked back to see he had been left with Cordelia and Tara, not that he minded.

"Rose, when the Doctor gets back, tell him where we've gone," he said, before leading the others out as well.

Rose watched them go and was worried about what kind of problem they might run into, but she considered that as Alexander had the Doctor's memories, he should not encounter something to troublesome.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

(Shadow Proclamation)

The Doctor was being a little fed up with Ethan, who was doing his best not to answer his questions or was just giving him rubbish. Ethan had no idea what he might have unleashed upon the Hellmouth and what was worse he did not even care.

He paced a little, wondering what his best way of getting answers was before realising maybe a little bit of force was needed. He had an idea what Alexander would do in his place and so he walked over to where the Warlock sat and pulled him to his feet and glared at him as if he was a Dalek. The effect was priceless, as Ethan began to fidget and try to pull away, as the stare purred into him. It was like looking into an endless void of hate.

"Now you will tell the exact changes you made to that spell Ethan or else I will deliver you right back into the hands of your old friends and let them get it out of you," the Doctor warned him. "I am sure Alexander and Giles would love to see you and considering who they became during Halloween, well you can imagine just what they might do to you," he added with a cruel smile.

He did not like acting like this, but he saw no other way of getting what he wanted. Ethan was beginning to crack he could see that and so all he had to do was continue playing up the worse traits of his sixth, ninth, and first incarnations and he would have the answers he was looking for. This was one of the reasons he left Rose in Sunnydale. He did not want her to see him like this, it was bad enough she had seen the hatred that ran so deeply in him when they faced the Daleks.

Sadly she only saw the best of him, if she knew some of the darker things he had done in his long life, either to defeat an enemy or save someone he believed important. He had helped empires rise and he had sent them crashing into the ground. He had fought friends and allies just as much as he had aided them. Then the war happened and everything he had been and everything he supposedly represented ended. He was a ghost of his former self, but somehow Rose had brought him back from the brink.

She was closer to him than nearly any other companion he had, bar Romana and Sarah Jane Smith. Maybe even closer than both of them, he knew what he felt for her, but he dared not tell her. She only had a short life compared to a Timelord and he did not think it was fair to start something that would end so quickly. As he fought his memories and emotions, he failed to notice the effects this had on Ethan, who could see it all pass over the Doctor's face, Ethan began to crack all the more and he knew his best bet was to talk.

"Ok I'll tell you," he shouted, breaking the Doctor out of his depressing thoughts and making him focus on him once more.

"Good," the Doctor nodded pleased by this, as he noted two Judoon pass on their patrol.

He pulled a tape recorder out of his pocket and again glared down at the warlock. "Now talk and do not dare to leave anything out or I will send you somewhere where you will never return from," he warned.

Ethan nodded and quickly began to tell the Doctor everything he had done to the spell, as well as the alterations he had made to the clothes and outfits so the magic would have more of an effect.

(Sunnydale, warehouse district)

Warren Mears sat back on his chair, as he looked over his new allies, Jake Williams, Luke Robins and Tom Wilks he had known them since school. Back then they had tormented him cruelly, but now, well now they worked for him, thanks to what happened on Halloween.

He had been planning on going with Jonathan and Andrew, but an argument between them had destroyed that plan as well as their friendships, so he had gone on his own and changed his planned costume. Originally he had be planning on going as Bobba Fett from Star Wars, but he had changed his mind and instead gone as Simon Phoenix from the film Demolition Man, a hard as nails criminal who knew how to fight.

Jake had gone as Kano from the 'Mortal Kombat' games, but was no match for the experienced Phoenix. Luke had gone as 'The Kurgan' from the Highlander films and so he had used Phoenix's knowledge and skills to make a deal with the head hunter that suited them both. Finally Tom was a big James Bond fan and so had gone as one his most well liked villains Max Zorin from the film a view to a kill, again making a deal with the smooth and very smart villain had been easy.

Already they had pulled off a number of robberies, but soon they would go further than that and maybe then he would allow his two more blood thirsty allies to have some fun, but for now he did not want to draw the attention of the slayer and her friends, who might turn out to be more of a problem than anything else. Tom was already planning their next job which was the main bank of Sunnydale, oh he could hardly wait for the mayhem to start and deep inside he could almost hear the insane laugh of Phoenix himself.

(Sunnydale)

Xander did his best to ignore certain things, as he walked through the town, memories of certain events he did not want to remember kept fighting to come back and for some reason they seemed so damn real for the first few seconds. Tara on one side of him kept a close eye on her lover, whilst keeping an eye out for someone matching the description Giles had given her, as she had never seen Mears before. Cordelia on his other side was looking back and forth for any signs of the idiot she remembered from school. Mears had been a creep just like Xander had said and he had gotten on her bad side very often.

Suddenly one of her friends, Aura, ran over to her once she spotted them looking quite relieved to see them if she was not mistaken, inside Cordelia was distrustful of her, as the last time they had been together was just before the big fight with the Mayor. With that and Harmony's death well things had not ended well. Aura blamed her for getting them involved and then stormed off. So what had changed her mind? Strangely enough, thanks to Sara's detective instincts, she had a very good idea what. One that should have been obvious to anyone considering what had happened last week. Great, just what they needed right now she thought.

"Just the people I wanted to see," Aura said smiling, although all three of them could tell it was mostly for show.

"What can we do for you Aura?" Cordelia asked, deciding the faster they got done with this, the faster they could find and deal with Mears and then maybe get around to stopping the demons who wanted to open the Hellmouth.

"I want to know what insanity happened last week on Halloween," Aura shot back with a glare. "I decided to go out with my younger sister and the next thing I know I have weird ass memories of a life that doesn't belong to me or should even exist in real life, but somehow I do and I know you have to be behind it," she explained.

"Who did you go as and was your sister affected as well?" Xander spoke, placing a calming hand on Cordelia's arm so she would not respond.

"I went as Lara Croft alright," Aura replied glaring even harder at Xander who she still blamed for bringing Cordelia into the crazy world she knew he and his friends dealt with. "And no my sister was ok afterwards. Why is that important?" she asked.

To her that was when all the insanity and madness began to interfere with their lives, Cordelia got more and more drawn into the whole affair, as her relationship with Xander got stronger until the idiot cheated on her. But even with that it was too late for Cordelia to look away, she was intent on helping them stop that Mayor and she had dragged them all into it and Harmony and Lisa had been killed during the fighting. She still had nightmares from it all from time to time. That was why she had stopped being friends with Cordelia.

Xander, Tara and Cordelia exchanged surprised expressions, as again it looked like the spell had been very selective in whom it changed permanently. They did not understand why it was so, but they had more evidence to what Joyce had said.

"It might be Aura," Cordelia answered a little more calmly. "What happened on Halloween was a nut job warlock, who cast a spell on us all and transformed us into our costumes, something he has done before," she explained. "This time thought there was more fallout, hence the reason you have memories and experiences you should not have now," she added. "And just so you know, I was hit as well as was nearly half the town, so it is not just you. I went as Sara Pezzini and Willow went as Aspen Matthews," she went on and noted the wide eyed look this got her.

Aura fought the memories this brought her, as Lara had known both and had good friendships with them both, shaking her head she glared once more at the trio and then stormed off. She now at least had some answers, but they did not help her, as for Rosenberg and Cordelia, it did not matter who they went as, because they were not dragging her into their world. No matter what the memories of Lara Croft urged her to do.

Cordelia watched her go and sighed, smiling in gratitude when Tara gave her a brief hug and Xander just trailed his hand down her arm to let her know that he cared. Moving on they wondered, if they would bump into anyone else who had been affected.

On the other side of town Buffy, Oz and Willow kept their eyes pealed for Warren or anyone else acting odd. So far their search had not been very successful. Willow was beginning to wonder just what madness Mears would unleash. She had always known he was unstable and she knew Xander and Jessie had not liked him much, but the idea that he had powers scared her, but she was even more up to facing him now.

Oz on the other hand just kept his eyes focused for any signs of the geek so he could kick his sorry butt. He hated the idea of anyone misusing their new skills and abilities and he was going to help put a stop to whatever plans the moron had. Buffy paused and looked around. She knew they were getting nowhere fast and they should change their approach. The question was how? Using Selene's experience she soon came up with a new plan and decided that keeping out of the public was Warren's goal and her new plan seemed to suit their plight.

"I think we are looking in the wrong places," she said, while turning to her friends.

"Where do you think we should be looking then?" Willow inquired, hoping Buffy had some idea where they might be.

"I think if Warren is up to no good, he isn't going to be standing out in the open," Buffy responded. "No, he will keep his head down or hide and where do our enemies usually hide?" she asked.

"The warehouses," Oz answered, as he quickly followed the slayer's thoughts and smiled before nodding his agreement.

"That makes sense," Willow spoke up in agreement as well. "Should we call Xander and the others just in case?" she asked, fishing out her cell phone.

"Yes, have them meet us at the warehouse district," Buffy answered. "Then phone Giles and let him know where we are going, if he doesn't hear from us in an hour tell him to come and look for us," she added before turning and heading off, with Oz close behind.

Willow followed, but focused more on her conversation with Xander, once she had finished that, she called Giles and relayed Buffy's orders before hanging up. Giles had only responded that they should be careful until they knew exactly what they were facing. He also told her that so far the Doctor had not come back.

(Magic Box)

Giles put the phone down and went back to his reading, hoping Buffy did not lead the group into an ambush and would follow his advice. His transformation back into Ripper had not gone easy on any of them and it brought back some unpleasant memories. However it had also given him back something he had been missing, his lust for adventure and a good challenge from time to time. He was also more intent on keeping his charges alive and wanted to make sure they took this kind of thing seriously.

Glancing to his right he noted Joyce was still cataloging some new supplies that had come in. He had to stop himself from staring at her and quickly looked away, only to notice Dawn and Rose, who were at the table with him and giggling together. He groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose and went back to reading, Dawn and Rose just laughed all the harder, unable to help themselves.

Joyce was not blind to the looks she had been receiving from Rupert of late, she had noted his gazes lasted much longer and tended to be filled with lust. It seemed their transformations were getting the best of most of them lately. She was not unaffected and had begun to notice the changes in style and clothing Rupert had undergone as well. Ignoring the laughter of her youngest daughter and Rose she concentrated on the supplies she was going through. She found this job a lot easier than she had done before, thanks to Amanda's knowledge of the supernatural and things surrounding it.

They were all interrupted by the sound of the Tardis returning and looking up they all noted that it appeared in the corner. The doors soon opened and the Doctor walked out with his hands in his coat pockets and a satisfied smile on his face.

"I take it Ethan was forthcoming?" Giles inquired.

"He was after a few choice words," the Doctor responded and only Giles noted the darkness surrounding that statement, not that he minded one bit.

As far as he was concerned Ethan deserved whatever the Doctor had ended up doing to him, to get him to answer his questions. His old friend had once again gone too far and put a lot of lives in danger.

"So you know what he did to the spell?" Dawn asked, while leaning forward. Very interested in what had been done to the spell.

"Yes I know," the Doctor replied, as he looked around and noted half the group was absent. "Where is everyone?" he asked.

"They've gone to find some of the people affected by Halloween, who had been misusing their new abilities and gifts," Rose answered, noting how the Doctor tensed a little.

"I see, we have to find them," the Doctor told them. "I managed to get a list of what costumes Ethan put out this time and let me tell you there is a lot of bad people on that list," he warned them.

"Such as?" Joyce inquired, looking up from a potion she was looking at.

"The Kurgan from the Highlander movies," the Doctor responded.

Joyce dropped the potion, but luckily it did not break and she turned to stare in horror at the Timelord. Memories that belonged to Amanda surfaced on listening to Connor McLeod's tales of the Kurgan and what he was capable off. The thought of her eldest daughter going anywhere near the monster set her on edge, she grabbed her nearby sword and slowly drew it.

"I see," she all but growled. "Remind me to gut Ethan the next time I see him," she stated, making Dawn pale as she had never heard her mother sound so serious.

"Anyone else we might have heard of?" Rose asked, not liking how this trip was turning out.

They were supposed to be here to relax somewhat, but if she was reading the Doctor's expression right, this might just be as dangerous, as what they had encountered in the future.

"Two insane criminals from a game and a movie, respectively called Kano and Simon Phoenix," the Doctor replied. "Both know how to fight and love to kill," he added.

"Oh dear god," Giles groaned. "Buffy and the others are heading for the warehouses where they think Warren might be hiding," he explained. "If he has become one of those you've mentioned or someone just as dangerous, they may need help," he added.

"Then let us go help them," Dawn growled, grabbing a nearby axe to which both Giles and Joyce nodded in agreement.

They all walked into the Tardis and watched as the Doctor set the controls and they vanished from the store, only Dawn really took notice of how amazing the Tardis was on the inside.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 03

(Sunnydale, warehouse district)

Xander paused as he turned around the corner. He noted Mears and Robins standing outside of the bigger warehouses and quickly raised his hand and stopped the other two from following, keeping close to the wall he watched as a third and fourth person joined them and after thinking hard for a few moments he recalled the names it was Wilks and Williams.

This did not bode well if they were working for Mears. He took careful note of the way they were dressed. Wilks looked the strangest as he was in a white shirt, black coat and pants and the only thing missing was a tie. His hair was slicked back with gel. Robins gave him even more of a chill, as he noted the long broadsword he carried, the skull helmet on his head as well as what looked like animal skins. Williams was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, but what made him standout was the mask with the red eye down one side of his face. He knew the profile well, having played the games as well as watched the film. Mears himself was dressed in a very familiar outfit, it came straight out of one of his favorite films and just catching the look on Mears faced confirmed what he knew in his heart. Mears had just become insanely dangerous, as had Wilks, Williams and Robins.

He turned away and pulled his phone out and called Willow, when she answered he told her to stay away from Mears and his group until they could formulate a plan. Of course Willow reported Buffy wanted to act so he summoned the Doctor inside him and ordered them to stay where they were out of sight. He heard Willow's slight gasp and felt slightly guilty, but knew it was best. Turning to watch again he watched the three walk away, closing his phone he walked out.

"I take it we have more trouble than we thought?" Cordelia inquired, not surprised with the tone Xander had taken with Willow, as she knew Buffy would not like staying back and waiting.

"Serious trouble," Xander responded, still very much under the influence of the Doctor inside him.

Tara noted this and stepped up to his side and grabbed his hand. She was slightly worried that her lover's personality could be so easily subsumed by that of the combined Doctor he had become on Halloween. She wondered what that meant for the rest of them. Sometimes she swore she could hear Dawn's voice in her head. It troubled her deeply. Clearly the goddess was still with her in some way.

Shaking her head she watched as Buffy began to stalk towards them, clearly angered by Xander's order to stay back. Willow was following, looking unsure, but what added to her unease was the anger she could see on Oz's face as well.

"What the hell did you think you were doing ordering us to stay back and not take the geek out?" Buffy demanded, once she had reached them.

"Yeah, we could have had him dealt with already," Oz growled, very much under the influence of Van Hellsing.

They were interupted by the sound of the Tardis arriving and they all turned to watch the blue box appear. The door was all but thrown open and surprisingly Joyce charged out sword in hand followed by Dawn with an axe and then Giles who also carried an axe. Lastly the Doctor and Rose walked out shutting and locking the Tardis behind them. Joyce had paused as she noted the group infront of her and sighing she lowered the sword and seemed to lose a lot of tension.

"Mom, what's going on?" Buffy asked.

"We came to help once the Doctor returned with a list of some of the evil personalities Ethan used for his spell," Joyce answered as the others joined her.

"That is why I stopped you attacking them, Buffy," Xander put in. "I recognized the costume Mears was still wearing and we are in no way equipped to deal with him," he added at her look. "Robins was dressed strange and almost familiar and was carrying a very brutal looking broadsword," he added.

"That would be the Kurgan," Joyce stated, the hate and anger in her tone clear to all and shocking Buffy who like Dawn had never heard her mother talk in such a way before.

"The other person I recognize was Williams. He was still dressed as Kano from the Mortal Kombat games. Maybe he likes the mask or it has been bonded to him. I don't know, but from this point on all of them are far more dangerous than ever before," Xander continued his tone dark and serious.

The Doctor was not surprised to see some of his ninth persona come out of Xander as the situation grew bad, it confirmed what he had feared and that was that the Halloween spell had a huge impact on the young man's life.

"So what do we do?" Willow inquired.

"For now we watch them and try and catch them in the act of doing something, but I suggest we plan to bring them down," Giles spoke up. "We all have talents to bring to this, we have time on our side in more ways than one," he added. "It will not be easy, but I am sure in the end we will be successful in stopping them," he said with conviction.

"And what if Mears recruits some more help Giles?" Oz asked, annoyed by the plan, but he could see the sense in it and did his best to ignore what his new instincts were telling him.

"Then we call in some help of our own. Remember it is not just evil people Ethan chose, but good ones as well," Giles shot back. "I am sure some of them will help us if need be, as most of them owe us their lives," he reminded them.

"Ok then I suggest we head back and get started," Xander cut in before anything more could be said. "We know where their base is now. I suggest we keep a close eye on it," he added, as he walked to the Tardis with Tara and Cordelia in tow.

The Doctor quickly unlocked the Tardis and waited until everyone was inside before he followed them inside. As the Tardis began to disappear Warren Mears and his friends reappeared and watched.

"So the do-gooders have found us," Warren spat, having suspected that Summers and her friends would get on their case in time, as they were well known to do those things. He had come back because he had been sure he had sensed someone watching them, and he had been right.

"Don't worry mate, they won't be much of a threat by the time we are done with them," Williams stated, drowned out by the Kano persona.

"They can easily be dealt with," Wilks agreed, as he considered their options.

"No, we need some help with this," Warren disagreed with a shake of his head. "The way they vanished is familiar and worrisome," he explained at their looks. "Let's see who else we can recruit into this," he stated, before he turned around and left again.

(Magic Box)

Everyone was sitting at the table and was reading whatever information they could get on the various bad guys Ethan had used for his spell. The one that chilled both the Doctor and Xander was of course the Master. The Doctor recalled how he had reacted when Ethan had admitted this to him. He was not pleased by his response, but considering the danger the Master represented even in such a limited way was troubling him.

Having seen the affects of his combined ninth and current incarnations in Xander and what he had just witnessed made him worry what kind of affect the Master's personality would have on whoever had bought his costume. He leaned back in his chair as the many clashes he'd had in his long life with his former friend came back. Each time he had barely come out the winner.

On the other side of the table Xander was also going through such memories. He was very nervous going up against the Master as he was not the Doctor, but a shadow of who the Doctor had been and currently was. He did not think he had what it took to deal with such a dangerous personality, but if it came down to that, he would do his best no matter the cost.

"Blasted idiot," Giles cursed as he noted another name of the list. "Ethan must have lost his mind when he compiled this list," he spat and began to pace.

"What is it Giles?" Dawn inquired, wondering who else Ethan had used for this madness.

"He did not just use human villains and heroes, but demons, vampires and aliens as you know." Giles stopped pacing and faced them. "He has brought back Lothos, a master vampire Buffy slayed five years ago. He also had some of Merrick's things," he informed them all.

Everyone watched as Buffy's face drained of all color as she heard the news. Joyce pulled her eldest daughter into a hug which Dawn quickly joined.

"Are you trying to tell me my first watcher is out there Giles?" Buffy asked in a small voice, her own personality drowning out that of Selene at this revelation. "As well as my first real enemy, the monster that killed him?" she added.

"I believe there is a very high probability of that Buffy," Giles replied with a sigh, as he moved over and knelt in front of her. "I am sorry Buffy. I know the memories of those events still haunt you, but I need you to work through it," he told her. "The more I read of this list the more troublesome this situation becomes," he stated, to which Buffy just nodded.

"I'll do my best Giles," she responded with a grim smile.

"I suggest we take a break," Rose spoke up, sensing the tension in the room and not liking it one bit.

"I think Rose is right," the Doctor agreed. "We need time to come to grips with this, as well as relax as best as we can," he added. "Xander I need you to come with me," he stated, as he headed for the Tardis. "Rose, stay here. We'll be back soon," he ordered as he noted Rose rise to follow them.

Xander nodded, gave Tara a quick kiss and the followed the Doctor into the Tardis. He watched as the Doctor began to set the controls, he had a feeling he knew where they were going.

"What was that about?" Cordelia inquired, glancing at Rose and then Tara.

"I don't know, but I suspect it has to do with the fact one of the Doctor's greatest enemies was used as well," Tara guessed, worried by how this would affect Xander. Cordelia and Rose exchanged worried glances, before trying to distract themselves with reading. Rose however recalled Romana saying something about the Master before they had come here. She wondered what kind of history lay between the two Timelords. She worried how it would affect the Doctor.

(New Gallifrey)

Romana looked up and was surprised to see the return of the Doctor so soon and right in the middle of the newly finished council room. She glanced to her left and right and noted the expressions of surprise on the rest of the council and almost smiled. The Doctor, no matter what he had been through in his long life, still seemed to care little for the authority of his peers and still seemed to like showing up unexpected.

They all watched as the Tardis finally fully appeared in the centre of the council chamber. The door soon opened and the Doctor exited followed by another surprise in Alexander being with him. Some of their fellow Timelords were wary of Alexander due to how he had become a Timelord, as well as the fact he was a combination of the Doctors current and former personalities which could make him unstable. However everyone on New Gallifrey knew they owed not only their lives, but their entire civilization to him, dangerous though his actions had been, it had worked and the best part of the Timelords had survived the Time War.

"Doctor, Alexander," she greeted. "I did not expect you back so soon, have things on Earth been sorted?" she inquired before she noted the seriousness in the face of her old friend.

"I am afraid not Romana, infact the events on Earth have become very dangerous indeed" the Doctor replied as he glanced around the assembled council members.

"How so Doctor?" Flavia asked, wondering what kinds of problems were affecting Earth now.

"Some of the personalities chosen by the chaos mage Ethan Rayne for his spell are true evil and I am sad to report one of those personalities is a Timelord, who has done great evil in the past," the Doctor answered grimly.

"Which Timelord, Doctor? There have been many renegades who had dealt much harm to the universe at large, including at one time yourself," Thalia pointed out.

"Yes that is true, but this one is beyond all others," the Doctor responded, ignoring the slight dig at his past actions. "His actions have destroyed countless lives and planets. He has tried again and again to gain control over this council, he had allied himself with our worst enemies when it has suited him," he explained.

Romana looked down in pain, as she realized exactly who the Doctor was talking about. 'It had to be him didn't it?' she thought. The most dangerous Timelord ever produced had in a way been brought back. That meant they faced a great danger.

"You mean the Master, don't you Doctor?" she said, cutting of Flavia who had been about to speak. "That is who you speak of, this is a troubling thing," she added with a shake of her head.

"More than you know, as I said he has used evil personalities from Earth and elsewhere, including vampires, demons and aliens," the Doctor warned them. "Combined they could bring the Earth to ruin, knowing the Master as well as I do, he will attempt to find some way off the planet," he continued.

"But this is not exactly the Master as we knew him, is it Doctor?" Thalia asked. "The spell broke and now some human is walking around with his memories and skills. That does not mean he will do what you suggest he will," she argued.

"You fail to understand just how much the spell affected those who were changed. Alexander will tell you that sometimes he does not know just who he is," the Doctor shot back, slightly annoyed that some of the council did not understand the true affects of the spell.

"He's right. The Doctor's memories and personality sometimes overtake my own," Xander stated, looking each of the council members in the eye. "It is hard to separate who I am and who he is. At night I relive the Doctor's past as if I was there," he continued. "If this is happening to whoever dressed as the Master, then it will be just as bad if not worse for him, and there is the danger that he will be actually overcome by the personality of the Master," he warned. "He will be as dangerous as he ever was. Do not fool yourself into thinking otherwise or you may doom my world and people," he stated.

The council members looked at each other, some in worry and some in uncertainty. Romana herself agreed completely with the Doctor and Alexander. The Master in any given form was a danger the likes of which always brought great destruction and death, leaning back in her chair she wondered what they could do to contain him.

"What do you wish of us Doctor?" K'anpo inquired, leaning forward. "We cannot directly interfere with events on Earth, you know this," he reminded his old friend.

"I know, but the Master is one of us no matter what form he takes and that means it is our duty to stop him," the Doctor responded. "I want your permission to do just that. No matter what it takes," he requested. "I know with the council restored you will be watching me closely, so I came to give you advance warning," he explained.

"Very well Doctor, do what you must," Romana said, after exchanging looks with the others and gaining nods of agreement from them all. "Help the humans gain control of this situation and deal with the Master as best you can. If he has consumed the life of the human who became him during the spell bring him back to us and we will do what we can to help," she ordered.

"Thank you," the Doctor responded with a nod before turning and entering the Tardis again, followed by Alexander.

Normally the Doctor would not have even bothered to ask permission from the council, but considered everything that had happened he believed he needed to keep on the council's good side and he needed to ensure Romana remained head of the council. Going against her orders and wishes would not do her any good. Quickly setting the controls to take them back to Earth, he glanced up as Xander leaned against the railing looking concerned.

"How do you plan on stopping him?" Xander asked, locking gazes with him.

"Anyway I can Xander," the Doctor answered. "Anyway I can," he repeated to himself as he flipped the control to start their journey back to Earth.

Romana watched the Tardis vanish and wished the Doctor and his friends luck. She knew they would need all the help they could get. She was somewhat surprised the Doctor had come here to ask permission and warn them of the danger, but then maybe he had changed after everything he had been through after all.

(Sunnydale)

Warren smiled as he walked down the street with his group on the lookout for new allies. He was keeping an eye out for anyone who may still be wearing some part of their costumes from Halloween. He also knew he would have to look into some of the more dangerous places to find those who had been transformed into demons and vampires. Once he had his allies he would destroy Summers and all of the people helping her and he would create an empire for himself.


End file.
